OTTAWA: Canadian overseas minister Melanie Joly is sending her deputy to China in a bid to assist thaw chilled relations with Beijing, a authorities supply with data of the journey mentioned Monday.Ottawa desires to “normalize bilateral ties with China” and Deputy Overseas Minister David Morrison’s journey to the Asian large “is part of that,” mentioned the supply, who spoke on situation of anonymity.Dates for the journey, anticipated within the coming days, haven’t but been introduced.Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been tense lately.The arrest of a senior Chinese language telecom government on a US warrant in Vancouver in December 2018 and Beijing’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage costs plunged relations right into a deep freeze.Extra not too long ago, ties have been tense over allegations of Chinese language interference in Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021. A Canadian public inquiry is at the moment assessing these claims, which Beijing denies.Final yr, Joly expelled a Chinese language diplomat accused of focusing on a Canadian opposition lawmaker who has been a vocal critic of the ruling Communist Get together in Beijing, in addition to his household.Ottawa additionally has criticized a safety crackdown in Hong Kong and China’s therapy of its Uyghur Muslim minority.However strain has been mounting within the enterprise group for the 2 sides to restore relations. Australia and america have sought to fix fences with Beijing, with senior officers from each nations visiting China in latest months.Joly herself has not travelled to China since taking up as overseas minister in 2021, however met together with her Chinese language counterpart Wang Yi in February on the sidelines of the Munich Safety Convention.At the moment, Joly spoke about the necessity to “pursue pragmatic diplomacy” with China.Wang in the meantime mentioned in an announcement that “the current difficult situation (with Canada) is not what China wants to see,” including that enhancing Sino-Canadian relations is within the “fundamental interests of both countries.”
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